Golden Angels and Frozen Monsters
by TheWolfWhoWaited
Summary: Lost, broken and in despair, Loki finds his guiding light in the void before being tortured by Thanos. After his invasion of Midgard failed, Loki was imprisoned in Asgard, his thoughts still returning what he has begun calling his Golden Enigma. When Loki's plan to rule Asgard goes awry, he goes to Midgard, determined to find this otherworldly pull towards her.
1. Chapter 1

"I could have done it father! For you! For all of us!" Loki's voice broke and tears welled up in his eyes. Thor had tears in his eyes as well, even he knowing what Loki was about to do. Even Odin was on the verge of tears. "No Loki." Was all he said. Loki let go of Gungnir, falling into the black abyss of the void. He could hear Thor's scream before he was surrounded by black nothingness.

He was going mad. He was the god of madness and chaos. He would know if he was going mad. Loki had no idea how long he had been in the void, frankly he didn't care. His whole life was a lie.

Suddenly, after what seemed like an eternity, the blackness was gone. It was replaced by a warm golden light. It wove it's tendrils of warmth around him and pulled him closer to the epicenter. The light was blinding, but welcome. The light around him solidified, he felt a distinct safeness in what he recognized was a woman's warm- no, not warm, scalding hot embrace. Loki squinted and a woman came into focus.

She had lightly tanned skin, almost a golden hue, and long golden blond hair that curled tightly at the end before becoming light. She was beautiful, Loki realised, one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen. The only thing odd about her was her eyes. They were an unnatural bright blue and had just the smallest hit of orange at the edge of her irises. Her dress was ivory coloured and was trimmed in the same gold and all the colors of fire. There was a green sash around one bare shoulder. _His_ green he suddenly realised.

One arm was around his waist, holding him close, the other hand was gently stroking his cheek. She was impossibly warm against his naturally cold flesh. Loki looked at this enigma in wonder. She flashed him a pure white smile. He couldn't help but smile back. It was strange, smiling. He had almost forgotten how. "Loki." She whispered. Her voice was soft, comforting. "What are you?" he choked out in response. She smiled again.

"Even I don't know. I'm sorry. But I know this. You are lost, and broken almost beyond repair."

Unwanted tears began to well up in his eyes. "But", she began again, "Not all is lost. You will have to face impossible odds, and horrifying reality. I promise, you will overcome it all. You must. Your brother will need you. Midgard will need you. I know you have no love for mortals, but their fate will hinge upon you and Thor. You will take the path you must, it will be hard, but very soon, you will not have to face it alone."

After she finished, he wrapped his arms around her slender waist, locking her in an almost crushing embrace, to keep her from leaving him alone again. Her skin was so warm, warmer than any Æsir or mortal. Her full lips pressed a tender kiss to his cheek before her warmth started to fade. "No…" he told her, desperate to not be alone on the dark, to be with this woman he felt the strangest connection with. A connection that he felt all the way to his core.

She pulled away from him, far too soon. This time, her smile was sad and he could see tears in the corner of her eyes. "I'm sorry. I must go. Your fate awaits you. Embrace it." She said before all the warmth and light she brought with her was gone. The tears came freely now, the tears of a broken man. There was something at the back of his mind though, something that was not there before. Hope. He could tell a truth from a lie, and she had not been lying. He would escape this hell. He knew he would. He had to. It was the only way to see his Golden Enigma again.

"Sir, you might want to see this. We might have just found Stark's replacement." Maria Hill informed Director Fury. She pulled the camera footage up on the holographic monitor. Nick watched closely, taking in every detail of the scene.

There was a woman, surrounded by the 'Dark Elves', as Thor had called them, in a deserted back alley. She had golden-blond hair, and was rather tall, and slender. The video quality wasn't the best, Nick assumed that it was a security camera outside a bar. She was completely surrounded, but they weren't firing at her. What must have been the leader of the squad, motioned to the others and they attacked. The young woman instantly had what looked to a whip made of pure fire, and wrapped it around one's neck, it falling to the ground in a pile of still-smoking cinders. In her right hand, she had a fiery longsword and masterfully slashed at the leader, removing its head in one clean swipe. The others charged at her all at once, hoping to overwhelm her, but to no avail. While her whip and sword were gone, she was cloaked in white-hot fire, and the elves were ashes before they could even turn tail. The pavement was scorched black. Nick had to admit, he was impressed.

"Is she in the database?" Nick questioned Agent Hill. "No sir. We can't even find anything on her. She's a ghost. There are reports of a tall blond that have been using… unconventional healing practices on injured civilians around this same area in London. If she lives around that area, we will find her."

"Send out Romanov. Have Barton on standby. I want her found and brought in as soon as possible."

"Yes Sir." With that, Mariah left the bridge, typing on her tablet and calling Romanov. _Someone with an ability like that might just be what the Avengers need,_ he thought.

Natasha was looking for a tall woman with golden blond hair in the middle of London. Great.

She started in the location of the footage. It wasn't hard to miss. The small back lot was blackened by the girl's powers. It was a wonder that he hadn't set the whole block on fire. "Nat. Hill just gave me a name and an address. I'm sending the address to your phone now. The girls name is Bethany Loyar. At least, that's what she goes by. Fury wants you to find her first. I guess he wants to talk to her." Clint informed her over her earpiece. "Copy that. Headed that way now."

Nat rushed over to the address, which was a few blocks down the street. She climbed the steps, all the way to the top apartment. It wasn't a penthouse, as this wasn't the type of neighbourhood to have penthouses.

She knocked on the door. No answer. "Clint. Tell Fury to get here as soon as possible. She's gone right now. He can make the entrance he always likes." She informed him. "Nat, what if it's the wrong girl?" Clint responded through the com. "I have a feeling it's not." was all she replied with. She heard Clint sigh on the other end. "Copy. I'll tell Fury."

Making sure no one was around, she easily picked the lock on the door. She strode in, closed the door and looked around. While the sitting room was decorated, it was bare. There were no family photos, no photos of friends, or even pets. Actually, there were no photos at all. There were paintings, some obviously quite old and some newer. It was an odd collection, Nat thought.

After waiting about fifteen minutes, she heard two pairs of footsteps outside the door, both male, one obviously Fury. The other, she knew was her Hawk. Fury and Clint strode in Bethany Loyar's studio apartment. Natasha closed the door behind them and relocked the door. Clint moved over by Nat and Fury looked around. All in all they only had to wait another fifteen minutes before they heard light footsteps coming up the stairs.

Bethany took out the keys to her flat. She stopped right before she turned the key. She didn't swear often, but she couldn't help it this time. "Shit." She breathed. She straightened her posture, it becoming the regal stance she had grown up using. Bethany sighed, and unlocked the door. She could feel three minds in her flat. Reaching out to them, she connected with all three. Nick Fury. Natasha Romanov. Clint Barton. The Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. The Black Widow. The Hawkeye. She turned the handle and opened the door.

"Get out of my flat." Bethany said icily.

"You were expecting us?" Fury asked. She could feel the slight surprise in his mind. Bethany had to be careful. In reality, she knew this was a long time coming. There was no hiding in this age of technology and cameras.

"We found some footage of you fighting a squad of Dark Elves. Well, I wouldn't call it fighting, it was more of a massacre. Miss Loyar. I'm Director Nick Fury. This is Agent Romanov and Agent Barton. We're here to talk to you about the Avengers Initiative." Fury informed her.

She gave them all an icy glare. All three agents noticed there was no malice in her glare, as if she was incapable of it.

Bethany thought for a moment. She wanted to help. She had been running for years. It was time to stand up and actually do something.

"I understand that even if I refuse you still have to take me in. I want to meet the rest of them first. And if I don't want to answer a question, or take some sort of test, you have to accept it. After that, I will give you your answer." She told them, in a commanding tone. _She is a wild one. Stark might actually have competition._ Bethany heard Fury think. She had to suppress a smile.

"Agreed." Fury said. Both Natasha and Clint breathed and internal sigh of relief.

"Gather your things Miss Loyar. It may be a while before you will be able to return here. S.H.I.E.L.D. will take care of everything. Should you join the Avengers, you will be relocated to the Avengers Tower, where the rest of the team is living currently." Fury explained to her. Bethany nodded and drug out her suitcase. She was used to speed packing, and had her essentials in less than five minutes.

They all filed out of her flat, Fury taking point and Clint taking the rear. There was a S.H.I.E.L.D. vehicle parked around the corner, and they got in, Fury in the passenger seat, Clint driving, and Natasha sitting next to her. They all rode in silence. Bethany was not the type of person to abuse her telepathic ability, she usually just kept to her own mind, but she had no inkling to trust these people. She was stretched a bit thin, being in three people's minds at once.

She could feel their unease, and Fury was going over what he saw in the video over and over again. There was something else though, something that was at the back of all their minds. She decided to go deeper. Clint had the most interaction with him, so she looked at his memories.

Saying Loki was handsome didn't even cover it. Clint was uneasy. Very uneasy. She could feel it. Thor had told them a few days back that Loki was alive and had killed Odin, and used an illusion to make himself look like the All-Father. He had come to warn S.H.I.E.L.D. that Loki might try to conquer Earth again. Despite Clint's hatred for Loki, Bethany couldn't help but feel…almost drawn to him. She kept feeling she had seen him before, and not on the news. Like she had actually talked to him. Everything was fuzzy, she realised. _It must have been a dream._ She thought. It was a necessity, blocking out dreams. Her mind wandered at night, finding its way into people's dreams… and nightmares. Bethany had learned early on to force herself to forget dreams, even if they are her own.

Bethany was drawn out of her trance when the car stopped on the pavement of Heathrow Airport. The group filed out, Bethany retrieved her case, and followed the agents to an odd-looking plane.

"It's a quinjet." Natasha explained to her. Fury and Clint sat down, and Natasha settled into the cockpit. Bethany tied down her case and sat across the aisle from Fury and Clint. Both eyed her with curiosity. Fury was no doubt trying to see if she had any other abilities. Clint, on the other hand, was trying to see what kind of person she was, and how much of a threat she posed.

When the plane took off, Bethany closed her eyes and let her head fall back. She opened her mind to the three in the jet, not really caring to concentrate on one particular person. She figured that Fury had the most dirt and secrets, so after a few minutes, she closed her mind to all but him. She knew that no one could actually feel her almost walk into their mind. Fury was blissfully unaware that Bethany could watch his memoires like a movie, and very easily know all of his deepest, darkest secrets. She takes note of a few things, things that might help get her out of a sticky situation with S.H.I.E.L.D.

Intrigued by Clint's reaction to the Trickster-God Loki, she dug into Fury's memories of him. She could feel how much Fury disliked Loki. She saw how Loki took the Tesseract, and about the ant and boot comments they would trade back and forth. She inwardly smiled at that one. She digs around for a bit longer, before feeling the quinjet begin to land. Bethany opens her eyes, snaps her head up, and closes off her mind, save for monitoring everyone that comes near her for malicious intent. Clint and Fury unbuckle and stand, Bethany doing the same as well. Natasha opens the rear door and strides out of the cockpit, falling in step with Clint. Fury is the first off, Bethany and her case behind him, and the two Avengers following behind her. It only takes seconds for her to realises that she is on an aircraft carrier, and an American one at that. _Wait. Not American. This is S.H.I.E.L.D. Not the government. _Her suspicions were confirmed when she saw the logo on everything. Literally everything. When they go inside, Clint leaves with Fury, while Natasha escorts her to her cell, erm, _room._

"Here you are. Take a few minutes to get situated", Natasha says then hands her a small radio. "Radio me when you are ready."

"That's just it, ready for what? You people are not sticking any needles in me. Not only no, but hell no." Bethany responded, not letting the slighter woman intimidate her at all. She didn't even have to touch Natasha's mind to have an inkling of what she could do if she wanted to.

"I understand that. Fury just wants to see what you can do. Surely you have heard all that has happened with Iron Man recently?" Natasha inquires. The only reply she gets from Bethany is a "Nope. Don't care about rubbish like that." With that, Natasha leaves the room, closing the door behind her.

Bethany takes in what will likely become her new home for a bit. The walls, floor and ceiling are all the same, boring metal. There is a twin-sized bed in the corner, and a small closet next to the door to an equally tiny bathroom. When in the bathroom, there is scarcely room to move. One thing she is thankful for, is that she has her own shower. It was very plain, but decent. It was clean, at least.

Bethany had left her case by the door, so after poking around a bit, she tossed it up on her bed. She scowled at the rather large window looking out into the hallway of the ship. Thankfully, there were blinds in which she immediately lowered. She turned and leaned against the wall and then sunk to the floor, bringing her knees to her chest. Looking up, she was not surprised to see the camera in the corner. Then she saw another in the opposite corner, same for the last two corners. She snorted in disgust. She almost wanted to hurl a fireball at them, almost.

Sighing, she got up and took the few steps needed to reach the little metal table in one corner of the room, and picked up the radio. Bethany opened the signal "I'm ready I guess."

It took Natasha less than five minutes before she came to get her. She led her down more hallways and stairs before Bethany arrived at the bridge. When she walked in she saw the Avengers, all present with the exception of Thor. The instantly recognizable Tony Stark had a glass of scotch in his hand, talking to a man about average height, with a shock of curly black hair. The man with neatly combed blond hair and was much taller and more muscular than anyone else in the room, could only be Captain America. Clint was also there, talking with the Captain.

The conversations stopped after a moment. Fury entered through another hall with another agent, a woman with dark hair tied back in a neat bun. Fury began to address the assembled Avengers. "This is Bethany Loyar. She is a potential candidate to replace Iron Man in the Avengers Initiative." Feeling the weight of all the eyes on her, she straightened her posture. "Hullo." Bethany said with a warming smile.

"Huh. So you're British eh, Kiddo? Cool. I'm Tony Stark. Call me Tony." Tony held out his hand. Bethany took it and they shook hands.

"Uh. Hi. I'm uh. Dr. Bruce Banner." Bruce and Bethany shook hands as well.

Clint nodded in greeting.

"Hello Miss Loyar. I'm Steve Rogers. It's nice to meet you. Fury's told us a bit about you." She shook hands with Steve as well.

"Nice to meet all of you." Bethany responded enthusiastically. As much as she distrusted S.H.I.E.L.D., she could tell these people were good people without even touching their minds.

"Now that the meet and greet is over, Miss Loyar if you would follow Stark please." Fury directed towards her. "Come on Kiddo. Let's go see what you're made of." Tony smiled and gave her a wink before gulping back the rest of his scotch. Bethany followed him down more corridors, with the rest of the Avengers, Fury and the other woman in tow.

They stopped and entered a very large and open room. The ceiling was higher, and there was training equipment scattered about. The others filed in and went into an observing room. She was left alone. Suddenly, Tony's voice came in over an intercom. "Ok Kiddo. Show us what you've got."

Bethany took a deep breath. Her motions were fluid, every strike and kick letting a burst of flame erupt. She had spent years in Asia learning different martial art styles to create her own style of fighting. After close to ten minutes of fighting invisible enemies, she stopped.

"Damn kid. You can move. Anything else?" Tony questioned through the intercom again. "We might want to go up on the deck for this one." She replied in turn. A moment later, they all filed out of the room, Tony grinning like an idiot, Steve giving her a soft smile, and the others looked indifferent. They all took the long trek back up to the deck of the ship in silent anticipation.

When they reached it, Bethany distanced herself from the group. She took another deep breath. This was one secret she guarded well. Her fire and healing was powerful, but besides her telepathy, this was the first thing that surfaced, this was the thing that made her truly unique. And made her strong. Without effort, she unfolded her wings. They disappeared when not in use, but as soon as she flexed the invisible muscles, they were there, unfolding. Tony and Steve's mouth's hit the floor and Tony said a very audible "Holy shit." as magnificent golden wings unfolded from Bethany. They were not typical wings though, there were in fact four wings, resembling a dragonfly's. The feathers were a pure golden color, a color even more brilliant than her hair. They looked metallic, but were clearly not.

"Uh. I can fly a bit right?" She asked Fury. Fury nodded, unable to find words at the moment.

With one powerful beat of her wings, she was airborne. They all watched in stunned silence as she demonstrated her speed, and agility while in the air, even going so far as to use her fire as well to demonstrate her aerial combat prowess she had worked so hard on. Finally, Bethany landed softly where she took off, and folded her gilded wings.

"Well son of a bitch Kid. That was something." Tony remarked, still surprised. The others agreed as well. Bethany smiled shyly. "I'm also a really good healer, if you want to put that on file too." She proclaimed. She decided to keep the telepathy to herself, the longer S.H.I.E.L.D. didn't know, the better. The next hour was spent sitting in the infirmary, a doctor looking her over, and testing her strength and speed. The doctor was surprised to find that she possessed a strength and speed that rivaled Captain America's. The doctor was about to dismiss her to go eat and retire for the evening, Fury strode in, his ever-permanent scowl on his face.

"Dismissed Doctor." He muttered. When the doctor left, he fixed his one eye on Bethany. "I had my doubts that your name was in fact, Bethany. Cut the crap now and tell the truth. Who are you? We are an intelligence agency who can't seem to find anything about you." Fury inquired. She sighed. "Damnation. Very well. I have lived in the shadows long enough. It is time cease this cowardly hiding." Fury noticed not only in the change in her speech pattern, her accent changed as well, it was no longer the slightly slurred heavy London accent she had before.

"My true name is Lady Aldabella Rayne. I was born on December 10, 1326, making me 687 years old currently. No you may not take a sample of my blood and no, I have not visibly aged since I was of nineteen years of age. If you don't mind, I am rather peckish and weary of the day's events. I have no further inclination to answer anymore pointless questions. If you would be so kind as to point me in the right direction of the dining hall, I would be most grateful, Director."

"If you think I'm just going to let you walk out of here, you are sorely mistaken." Fury spat. Aldabella noticed that Fury did not hide his anger very well. "Fury, it's almost 8 and I haven't had anything to eat since breakfast. I'm sorry but I'm bloody hungry. And tired. Can't I just explain everything tomorrow? It's not like I have a job to go to. Or anything else to do." She had shifted back to her modern London accent and speech pattern. Fury huffed and looked down at Aldabella. She opened her mind to him, to see what he thought of her admittedly mad story.

He had conflicting emotions and thoughts. Part of him almost wanted to believe her, but all logic dictates that Aldabella is lying through her teeth. The other part was thoroughly pissed they really has nothing to keep her here. There was nothing they could use to ensure her silence, and cooperation.

"If you don't believe me, Director, please, look up my surname. It is bound to be in some lost and forgotten record vault."

"You could have easily stolen the name, date of birth, and any other information you could have found on her." Fury countered. Aldabella sighed.

"I can't explain how it all happened. All I know is that after I finally stopped and really looked for a moment, I looked exactly like I did when I was nineteen. And I was close to thirty at the time. And before you say anything, I was really busy," she paused for a moment, "If it takes a blood sample to understand, then…fine take it." She rolled up the sleeve of her jumper.

Fury's eye narrowed at her before he called a doctor back in. "When you're done here, an agent will escort you to the mess hall". He turned on his heel and strode out of the room like he couldn't get out of there fast enough.

After the doctor took a sample of her blood, a nameless agent escorted Aldabella to the almost empty mess hall. The only ones still there was her new soon-to-be comrades.

They were sitting in the far corner from the door, and their laughter could be heard clearly from the other side of the large room. The cook gave her a tray with a hamburger and some chips, and she took a seat at the door while the agent left.

"Hey Kiddo! Come and sit by us! We won't bite!" Tony called over, who was joined in by a chorus of agreements from the others. She grabbed a chip before she picked up her tray and navigated her way to where the Avengers were sitting.

Natasha and Clint were sitting together, with Bruce sitting next to Clint. Tony was across the table from Bruce, and Steve was next to Tony. Aldabella set her tray next to Steve's empty tray, it was obvious that they had been done eating for a while. Now they were just talking and it seemed that they were waiting on her. She sat down.

"Hullo. Sorry that took a bit." She muttered. "It's no problem Miss Loyar." Steve gave her a friendly smile. "We all know how Fury is." Bruce muttered. Aldabella shifted uncomfortable in her seat and took a bite of her hamburger, chewed thoughtfully, and swallowed. "Yeah, about that… my name's not Bethany. It's Aldabella Rayne. Fury called me out on it. It's been really hard to stay invisible these last ten or so years."

The others took it better than she thought they would. It was Clint that addressed her last comment. "Ten or so years? Just how old are you?" Aldabella smiled shyly. "You won't believe me. But…. 687." She proclaimed. Bruce looked fascinated, Clint was wide-eyed, Tony's mouth had hit the floor, and Steve just looked completely shocked. "You gotta be shitting me," Tony halfway yelled. Steve shot Tony a patronizing glare. "Christ. You look damn good for almost 700. So that explains the old English name. Nice." He continued. Aldabella blushed a little. "Thanks Tony. Call me Ella if you would. I know my name's a bit much for this day and age." She countered. There was a moment of silence and Ella continued eating. "Steve is going with you back to London tomorrow. Fury gave the two of you leave to go pack up your stuff so you can move into Stark Tower." Natasha broke the silence.

Ella looked her for a beat. "I never told Fury I was joining." Once again, all eyes were on her. "But eh. What the hell. There's no point in going back into hiding now. What time do we leave?" She questioned. "7 o'clock tomorrow morning. Fury is sending a truck and boxes. I'm to help with heavy stuff." Steve informed her. "I'm a speed packer so I shouldn't take more than a few hours tomorrow." Ella informed them. She began eating again. The others went back to their conversation from before. Ella listened and laughed with them. It was weird, she thought, having friends again. She finished and brought her tray away and went back to the table. Bruce had left only a few minutes before and Clint and Natasha walked waved goodbye with Tony. Steve and Ella were the only ones left. "Do you know how to get back to your room from here?" He asked. "Nope. I'm used to winding corridors, but this is maddening." She halfway complained. "Our rooms are in the same hallway, if you want me to escort you there. I'll admit it can get confusing sometimes when you are new here." He smiled at her. Ella smiled back. "Yeah. Definitely. Thanks Steve."

They navigated their way through the narrow hallways and long corridors. The silence was really awkward and Steve tried to break it several times, but to no avail. He noticed how heat seemed to radiate off her. Almost like she was a space heater.

They arrived shortly at her room, and Steve bid her goodnight before going to his own rooms. No doubt Tony was tinkering in the lab, getting drunk like usual.

Ella closed and locked the door and drug out her pajamas, and changed in the tiny bathroom. When she got out, she turned out the lights, and flopped on the rock-hard bed. After laying in bed for few hours, going over everything that had happened, Ella finally drifted into an uncomfortable sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Domestic Bliss

Ella woke up to the alarm that had been set for her. She groaned and drug herself off the rock-hard mattress. She pulled a pair of well-worn, comfy jeans, a black fitted tee, and her favourite pair of maroon Converse. Ella emerged out of the bathroom a few minutes later, and shoved her clothes from yesterday and her pajamas back into her case.

Knowing that she wouldn't want to deal with her almost waist-length hair, she took out her brush, hairspray, and bobby pins. She braided it, then put it up into a bun. She brushed her teeth after, and repacked it all. Ella still had some time to kill, so she decided to go get some breakfast.

She remembered the way from the previous night, and soon found herself at the very full and loud mess hall. Ella quickly got some oatmeal and a glass of orange juice and sat at the end of a table that wasn't as full as the rest, trying to stay away from the other agents. A few gave her weird looks and a few more was checking her out. Stuff like that didn't bother her anymore.

After scarfing her breakfast down, it was almost time to leave, so Ella took care of her trash and went back to the room. She saw Clint on the way, and they muttered greetings as they passed. Ella saw Steve waiting outside the door.

"Sorry I wanted to eat before we left. I didn't think I was late though."

"Oh no you're not. I haven't been here long. I figured you went to eat. I've been up a while so I've already ate. Actually, we can head you now if you want." Steve suggested. He looked like a blast from the past, leaning against the wall, his short blond hair combed back and in a World War II era leather jacket. "It's not like I have anything else to do", Steve nodded and motioned to begin walking. Ella fell in step and matched Steve's long strides. "Where are we anyway? I'm assuming over the Atlantic."

"We're not far from the coast of Ireland as of last night. Natasha should be getting the jet ready. Tony's having the things you brought yesterday taken to Stark Tower."

"Stark Tower? Why are we going there? I figured I would be moved to America, but New York?" Ella speculated.

"Yeah. It started as just Bruce, Tony and Pepper living there, but Tony insisted on me moving in. Nat and Clint have rooms there too, if they actually stay put for long. Tony has huge apartments on the residential floors. Ever since The Mandarin blew up his house in Malibu, Pepper and him have been living in there. There's a bunch of space, don't worry."

"If you've seen my flat, you'd know that lack of space isn't an issue with me." Ella quipped. Steve gave her a half-smile. "Fury debriefed us this morning. Tony and Bruce were really surprised at first, and said something about it being impossible, but then begged Fury for a DNA sample. After meeting Thor and Loki, I guess it didn't really surprise me all that much. It's kind of cool, actually." Steve admitted.

"Really? I always thought it set me far apart from everybody. In this day and age, and with all of this new technology, I shouldn't be so surprised that there are other extraordinary people out in the world."

"At least you haven't been frozen for the last seventy years. Tony's given me a list of movies to watch, but I still don't understand half of what everybody says." Steve affirmed. Ella gave Steve a big smile. A few moments passed. Finally, Ella broke the silence. "What were they like? Thor and Loki?"

Steve thought for a second. "Thor is a good man. If a bit blunt. Loki is, well, Bruce said you could smell crazy on him. Not that I'm disagreeing," Steve paused another moment, "Well, if you're going to be an Avenger, you should at least know this. Yesterday morning, before everything with you, a few Asgardians came and told us that Odin was killed by Loki. One of Thor's friends, Sif, said that Loki had been impersonating Odin for the last month or so, and that he had escaped. Everyone here is a bit jumpy, worried that Loki will come back and try to rule Earth again. With Iron Man out of commission, we might really need your firepower."

"Oh. Well I've never really wanted to fight. I've always been a defender, a healer." As she spoke, Ella brought her hands up closer to Steve, and a soft, golden glowing light was weaving through her fingers. I've seen my share of bloodshed. I don't want any more."

"I don't like it either. But we might not have a choice." He told her in turn. Ella shrugged.

They made it back up to the deck. Agents were milling about, thought most were getting a jet ready, along with a woman in a skin-tight cat suit with bright red hair. It didn't take a telepath to know that it was Natasha.

The jet was just finished getting prepped, when Nat saw Steve and Ella and sauntered over to them.

"Ready when you are." Nat stated.

They continued to the quinjet, and boarded. Natasha got settled in the cockpit. Steve got situated, and Ella sat next to him. The quinjet took off after a few more minutes.

The flight back to London definitely was in lighter spirits than the one from the day previous. Not much was said, except Steve tried to small-talk with Ella on a few occasions. Even Natasha tried to contribute to the conversation, or lack thereof.

Soon, they landed back at Heathrow Airport, and an SUV, just like the previous one, was waiting to take Ella and Steve back to her studio flat. The car ride there was full of the awkward silence as the flight, and not soon enough Steve, Natasha, and Ella were at their destination.

Natasha left Steve and Ella to go do something oh-so-important for S.H.I.E.L.D. and drove off, Leaving Ella and Steve alone.

Ella led the way, climbing up the six flights of stairs. On the fifth flight though, the flat below Ella's, they were met with a shorter young woman, with long straight hair.

"Oh Bethany! I was beginning to think you were avoiding me!" the woman purred. She turned her attention to Steve. "And who is this?" She moved passed Ella, to fawn over Steve. Ella moved in between the two, making sure Angelica didn't get her claws into Steve.

"I'm busy Angelica, what do you want?"

"Oh nothing! I just came to see what all the fuss was about. John said some very official- looking people came and too you away! I just couldn't believe it! The government, taking you away? Why you wouldn't hurt a fly." Angelica's words were meant to be kind, but the viciousness in her hazel eyes and her tone grated on Ella's nerves.

"Uh, Ella? We need to get going. Fury likes staying on schedule." Steve added. He was more than aware of how the seeming kind girl was blatantly rude to this Angelica. _Ever the diplomat._ Ella thought.

"Good bye, Angelica." Ella spun on her heel, and grabbed Steve's arm, making him follow her back up the stairs. Angelica made a sound of protest, but went back into her flat to sulk on Ella taking away a potential new toy.

Ella took out the keys to her flat, and unlocked the door. She ushered Steve inside. They put down the deconstructed boxes and Ella dung around in a drawer until she produced a big roll of packaging tape. They took turns with the tape, and now most of her small flat was now full of cardboard boxes.

"Just start taking things off the walls would you? Please be careful. The paintings that look old, are." Steve began to take an odd assortment of paintings and pictures off the walls. Some were smaller, and abstract or newer pieces, others were old, very old, looking to be from the 1700s and older.

Ella started to pack books and other things off her bookshelves and carefully placed them in the boxes, wrapping some in bubble wrap. They worked in a comfortable silence for a time, until Ella moved to a small side closet, and drug out an old trunk. A very old trunk. She smiled and let out a small chuckle. Steve turned to see what she was looking at. Ella unlocked the trunk, and gingerly opened it. "I had forgotten I had saved all of these." She confessed. The trunk was almost over filled with clothes. The cloth was old, and ranged from velvet and silk to sequins and denim.

"These are some of my favourite outfits from the ages. Some are so old I'd be terrified to wear them, but I can't imagine what some museums would do for authentic middle age clothing."

"You kept all this stuff? You didn't strike me as the sentimental type." Steve mused. He gave her a small smile and Ella gave him one in return. "I'm usually not, but sometimes I can't help myself."

Ella closed and relocked the trunk, and carried it over to where the other boxes were.

With two people working, it didn't take long to pack up her small flat. After everything was packed, Steve radioed S.H.I.E.L.D. and Natasha. Natasha pulled up a few minutes later, with another S.H.I.E.L.D SUV in tow.

With Ella, Steve, Natasha, and another agent assisting, it took mere moments to pack up both cars. Several of Ella's old neighbors poked their heads out of the door or looked out of their window, curious to why the soft-spoken, kind young woman was leaving in government vehicles, with agents to boot.

When her flat was cleared out, and Ella was assured that S.H.I.E.L.D. would take care of her lease, she and Steve made their way back to the airport.

The rest of the day and part of the next was spent on the hellicarrier, then on one of Tony Stark's private jets to New York. The trip was long, and uneventful, but it gave Tony, Bruce, and Steve the opportunity to ask as many questions as they wanted. Tony had a mini-lab on board, and the two science geeks spent several hours pricking her finger and asking all manner of questions about her abilities. Steve eventually scolded Tony, and told him to leave Ella alone. She thanked him, even though she didn't mind.

As opposed to Tony, Steve was more interested in her as a person. They spoke about World War II, and many of the other countless wars Ella had been a part of.

She regaled Steve with how she had cut her hair and dressed as a man to fight, or even be near the battles. While Ella had in fact been more of a medic than a fighter, she still had seen most of history unfold before her eyes. Bruce was greatly interested, and Tony would ask ridiculous questions, but they were funny and half-drunkenly asked.

When they finally reached Avengers Tower, Ella just wanted to sleep. The boxes full of her things were being unloaded and brought to her new room.

The tower was huge, which was an understatement. Tony explained that only the top five levels were apartments, well one huge dining room, a massive kitchen, almost a whole floor for the living room, and bedroom complexes that were over three times as big as her whole studio flat.

Ella was drug to the top floor by Tony, who was eager to get back to Pepper. Once in the cavernous open living room, Ella was greeted by a tall, slender woman in slacks and a ruffled blouse. She immediately went to Tony and embraced him, which Tony replied with a kiss.

"Pep, this is the new kid in town." Tony informed her, wrapping an arm around her waist.

Ella held out a hand. "Aldabella Rayne. A pleasure. Tony wouldn't stop talking about you on the flight over."

Pepper shook her hand. "Pepper Potts. The pleasure is mine. Tony said you joined the Avengers. Congratulations. What is it that you can do?" Pepper questioned.

"Oh Pep she's fantastic. She can freaking fly! And she's like a thousand years old or something. And can shoot fire!" Tony began gesticulating wildly.

"I'm not actually a thousand years old. I'm actually 687. Not that it matters much."

Pepper raised her perfectly plucked eyebrows in surprise. "Well I have met a god. I guess anything's really possible." Pepper mused.

The lift opened, and Bruce and Steve strode out.

"Capsicle! You wouldn't mind showing the kid to her room right?" Tony asked as he strode over to the bar, and made himself, Pepper and Bruce a drink.

Normally, Tony asking him to do stuff without really asking grated on the Captain's nerves, but even after knowing Aldabella for such a short time, he liked her. She was kind and humble, despite being so much older and wiser. He was also trying to ignore the fact that she was stunningly beautiful. It wouldn't do well to try and start anything with a teammate, despite Clint and Natasha's obvious relationship. At least, not right now.

"Follow me Miss Ella."

"Chivalry isn't dead." She smirked as he led her back into the lift.

They took the lift three floors down, and it opened to a long, wide hallway that extended on either side of the lift. Steve took her to the left, and to the last door on the right. He opened the door, and held it for her. Her things were already stacked inside the main room.

"My room's the first on the right of the elevator, Nat and Clint's is across the hall, and Bruce's is all the way down the hall on the left. Tony and Pepper's is upstairs. Just tell Pepper what kind of furniture you want. I think she has a catalogue or a designer or something. I just picked something out to be honest. But if you need any help unpacking, it's not like I have anything else better to do."

Ella gave him a soft smile. "Thank you Steve. I think I'll explore the room a bit and unpack."

He nodded and turned to leave. "Oh, and Miss Ella? Tony has a computer called Jarvis. It answers anywhere in the tower, so if you have any questions, just ask it. You just say its name and it responds. It takes some getting used to too. "

Ella looked around. "Thanks. I'll be sure to use it." With that, Steve turned and left, and shut the door behind him.

As soon as he left, her shoulders slumped as she let out a deep sigh. Actually looking at the room, this was the nicest place she's lived in a very long time, and the largest since living in a castle.

The floor was tiled glossy black marble, and the walls were plain light grey. There was an enormous television on the right of the door, with floor to ceiling shelves on either side of the flat screen.

The bedroom was huge. A king sized bed was on the wall, facing the floor to ceiling windows that overlooked Manhattan. The adjacent wall was also nothing but glass. It had the same colour scheme of the living room, albeit a bit lighter with all the light in the room.

Where the first two rooms were all darker colours, the bathroom was the opposite. It was all white marble and stainless steel. The bath looked big enough for three or four people, and the shower was as big as her old flat's whole bathroom. The sink was a raised glass bowl, and there was a vanity in an alcove next to the sink.

Satisfied that she had seen everything, Ella started carrying her clothes into her new walk-in closet, which happened to be about the same size as the shower. It didn't take long to hang up her clothes, and she began to unpack the rest.

"Miss Rayne? Miss Potts has asked me to inform you that lunch has been served." A phantom voice informed her.

While she was not expecting the voice of the AI, she did not jump. "Um, thank you I think?"

"Of course ma'am."

Ella left the room and began making her way to the dining room. As she was waiting for the lift, the hair of the back of her neck stood up. She was immediately put on high alert. Something wasn't right.

Now. This was his chance to find her. He couldn't have risked Thanos knowing about her, so he had guarded his memories and thoughts of her during his enslavement by The Mad Titan.

What disturbed him was that whoever his Enigma was, why was she on Midguard? Such a perfect creature could not be Midguardian, and mortal. No mortal could command such power.

Loki walked the branches of the Yggdrasil, until the pull he felt towards her was the strongest. Loki cloaked himself in shadow, and found himself in Manhattan, outside of Stark Tower, which now bore the symbol of the Avenger fools. He could feel her presence, and teleported to the floor she was on.

The fact that she was associated with the Avengers angered him. _What purpose could such a magnificent creature have here?_

Standing there, right in front of him, was her. She looked so different, in a green flannel shirt, black skinny jeans that clung to her curves, and lace-up boots. Her golden hair was in a low pony-tail, and her winged eyeliner was flawless. While looking the opposite of the first time Loki saw her, there was no mistaking the curve of her jaw, those striking eyes, her full lips, and the heat that seemed to radiate off of her. Loki was enraptured by her, despite the anger he felt at her being so obviously midguardian.

He saw her stiffen, and glance around. He contemplated revealing himself right there, to demand answers. How did she know about him? How did she know about his future? What else does she know?

She took the lift, and he stepped in as well. She was tense, he noticed. _Perhaps she knows I am here?_ He thought. She had to know. But now wasn't the time to reveal himself.

The lift opened again, and she stepped out to the dining room. There was a long table on the left side of the room, and a raised bar and stools to the right. Behind the bar were several liquor cabinets, filled with all kinds of alcohol and related things. The kitchen was on the far back wall, and had an absurd amount of counter space. Everything was in black and stainless steel, and had a modern vibe to it.

Tony, Pepper, Steve, Natasha, Clint, Bruce, Thor's midguardian lover, and her friend were all sitting at the table. A place was set for her next to Pepper and Bruce. While Loki had not met Pepper Potts, he was aware of her as she was always in the back of Stark's mind.

Jane stood up. "Dr. Jane Foster. Bruce was telling me about your abilities. Space is more my thing, but it sounds fascinating."

"And I'm Darcy Lewis. Not that anyone cares. I'm Jane's intern slash best friend, whether she admits it or not."

"Aldabella Rayne. It's nice to meet the both of you. And to not be one of the only girls around here." She jested.

_Aldabella Rayne. Not a common midguardian name._

It was strange. He could read the minds of everyone in the room but her.

Content of now knowing her name, Loki lurked in the background.

The lunch proceeded normally, there was idle chat, but he paid close attention to her body language, and responses to questions directed at her. Aldabella still acted like she was expecting an attack. He explored the minds of her new companions, and Steve, Natasha and Clint where the only ones that seemed suspicious of her body language. In the mind of the Captain however, he felt a surge jealously.

_The Captain fancies her. That will not do._

Lunch continued normally, with friendly banter, jokes and stories. Aldabella's laugh was melodic and clear, and he actually smiled. A true, happy smile, not a mischievous smirk or the evil grin he is fond of, but a genuine smile.

During his imprisonment in Asgard, he had time to analyze his emotions for this woman he had only met once, and he wasn't certain that he had hallucinated it. The one thing he was certain about was after she left him in the void, there was a tug on his very soul, one that had not been there before.

She was not long done eating, and the others were finishing as well. Ella stood and suppressed a yawn. "The meal was amazing, but I think I'll call it a night. This jet-lag is bloody killing me. Night everyone."

There was a chorus of 'nights' and 'goodnights' from the table, and Ella, with a phantom Loki in tow, made her way back to her rooms.

Once in her rooms, Ella pulled off her boots, and shucked her flannel off, which left her in a black tank top.

Stocking feet padding into her bedroom, she threw the enormous curtains closed and plunged the room into darkness. Ella plopped into the fluffy bed and closed her eyes.

Seconds later, the lights flipped on.

"What the-"

"Now my dear, I though you would at least acknowledge my presence. I know you can sense me."

Ella leaped from the bed, full attack-mode. She summoned her fire sword and whip, and faced the being in her room.

Once she recognized the man in front of her, Ella's ice blue eyes widened in disbelief.

There he was, not five feet in front of her, Loki, the God of Mischief. In the flesh.

While Loki was not expecting the fire she controlled to be so well controlled, it was impressive.

"How did you get in here?" She demanded.

"A trickster cannot reveal all of his secrets, now can he, Lady Rayne?" Loki gave her his signature smirk.

Her posture shifted to a more aggressive stance at the use of her surname. "Why are you here? Are you not afraid that I'll call the rest of the Avengers? Not afraid that they'll haul you back to your brother?"

"That imbecile is not my brother." He growled. At this point, it was a staring match, and neither party was backing down.

"I am not here to harm you my lady. I merely came to thank you. You pulled me out of a dark place, and for that, you have my gratitude. But, I do have questions, if I may ask them."

"I've never met you before. Fury and the others debriefed me on the situation, seeing as it was revealed that you are not dead. That is the only reason I know who you are." Ella's fire disappeared, but she still was ready for an attack.

Loki's expression darkened. "How can you not remember?" he asked through clenched teeth. He waved his hand as he started pacing. Suddenly, Ella found herself cloaked in an ivory silk gown trimmed with gold and rivers of fire that swirled around her. The dress had a golden breastplate, with a dark green and black sash draped across.

She picked up her skirts and quickly ran to the three full-length mirrors in her closet. What she saw shocked her.

The dress was unlike anything she had ever worn before. Loki seemed to have calmed down a bit, and approached her from behind. Seeing her hair still pulled back, he gingerly pulled it out of her ponytail.

"I apologize for my anger. The last few years haven't been kind to me," he paused for a moment and let out a deep breath. "You say you have never met me, and I know that you came to me in the Void. It could not be any other. As I said before, I came to thank you Lady Aldabella." A look of realisation and understanding came over Ella.

"I think I know what happened," She turned to face him instead of the mirror. "I have telepathic abilities. I often find myself in other people's dreams and nightmares. I'm not sure how, but my subconscious may have reached out to you. I... I learned early on to forget my dreams before I even wake up."

The dress faded away. "I see. I have been misguided then, but, if you have telepathy, perhaps I could show you?"

Ella nodded and motioned him to follow her to the living room. She sat on the sofa, and Loki followed suit.

He raised his right hand and gently placed two fingers on her temple. Their gazes locked and Ella felt something pull towards him.

"Open your mind. I'll do the rest." He encouraged.

Ella opened her mind as he instructed. While she should be wary, and she could not read his mind, the energy he was giving off was positive, and held no deception. She just hoped that no one walked in with the God of Mischief sitting in her sofa.

When Loki withdrew from her, Ella gasped. This was troubling. She had never done anything like this before. Why was this any different?

"Why is this so different? I swear I've never done anything like that before."

Loki stood. "I admit I do not know the cause my lady. But I have found that I cannot read your thoughts like I can others."

"You're telepathic too?" She asked, surprised.

"I use magic, but yes," she nodded and studied him thoughtfully. "And I have a confession my lady."

"Please, call me Ella." She offered him a small smile.

Your name in Aldabella, and I will call you as such. But I digress, and I have a thought, though. During my imprisonment on Asgard, I spoke with my mother about a certain, pull towards you since we met in the Void. She told me that, although it is rare, sometimes two souls can be magically linked. They share a mental link, and depending on the persons involved, other powers can shared as well. Magic reserves, strength, emotions, pain, knowledge, the possibilities are as endless as creatures in the universe. I believe, though I do not know how, this link has surfaced between us. My mother shared my thoughts. But, I have reasons to believe that the link in dormant."

A look of confusion crossed her face. "I don't understand. I can't read your thoughts either. I assumed it was because you were a god or something," Ella stood. "You come here, despite the fact that I could scream and the others will come running, or that I could fight you myself, to tell me that you saw me in a vision or something, and know you're telling me our sodding souls are bound or something?! Do you realise how bloody mad this sounds?" She stood and began pacing in front of the couch.

Loki stood as well. "I would not force you to do anything Lady Aldabella. I believe my intentions were misguided. I will take my leave." He turned from her, and before he could vanish, Ella grabbed his wrist. "Wait." He turned to face her, and inwardly, he was pleased. Loki did not want to leave her, she was an anomaly, and Frigga had told him that such a bond should be squandered, and be used to its full potential.

"Can this connection thing be reversed?" she asked softly, letting go of his wrist.

"As we both have telepathic abilities, you should be able to block it out as easily as you can other people's thoughts."

Aldabella turned from him and mulled the decision over for a moment. "Alright. What do you need to do?"

He cupped her face in both of his hands, her skin blistering hot against his frozen flesh. There was trepidation in her eyes, but curiosity as well. She did the same, and Loki brought their faces close, and Ella gasped, thinking he was going to kiss her, and actually not really minding. He was gorgeous after all. Loki brought their foreheads together, and Aldabella's cheeks flushed. He was very close, and while they were not embracing, it was still such an intimate position for her.

Loki could feel the heat coming off of her in waves.

_Her fire abilities must influence her body temperature. _He pondered.

"Just relax." Loki whispered. Ella let out a breath she didn't realise she was holding.

The two dropped all mental walls, and while Loki was gifted with a vibrant tidal wave of emotions and heat, Aldabella was less fortunate.

Her mind was taken over by cold, negative emotions, and madness. She tore away from him, stumbling, and hitting the floor, body shaking and reeling from the mad laughter that plagued her. It was all too much, and she struggled to breathe. Loki leaped to her aid, cutting off the connection, and trying to calm her. Her wings flared out protectively around her, startling the god at their appearance.

"Shhhh. It's alright. My sincerest apologies. What happened?" Loki tried to console her, and to figure out what when wrong.

"The laughter, the cold, the pain, it's too much I can't-"

"Laughter?" he questioned, rage twisting his features. Ella nodded, wings curling around her, but encasing the god as well.

"Thanos." He hissed. It was becoming easier to breathe now, but she was still reeling from the connection. Loki helped her to her feet, his arm around her waist supporting her shaky legs.

A few moments later she had calmed down, she looked to him, tears in her eyes. "You must be so strong, to live through such madness and it not break you." Ella was clinging to him, and she found herself not caring in the slightest.

Another short moment, and they separated. "I- I may be able to help."

"What do you mean? Madness cannot be cured." He scoffed.

Her eyes narrowed. "It takes quite a bit out on me, but I can do it.

"Very well then, if you can, you will have the favour of a god." Loki smirked at her.

Ella sat on the sofa, and directed him to sit in between her legs on the floor. He complied, and she placed her hands on his temples.

He felt her presence in his mind, but it was her warmth and healing light, not her consciousness. The constant mad laughter faded until it disappeared entirely. The paranoia and pain that Thanos had inflicted on him slowly faded into nothingness. When her fingers slipped away, he felt, lighter, like the last two years and all the mental and physical torture the Mad Titan and his henchman inflicted on him never happened.

When he rose and turned to face her, Loki found her slumped on the sofa, knocked unconscious from her exertion. He gingerly picked her up, cradling her slender form to him. He carried her to her bed, and laid her down. Even unconscious, she was such a beauty to behold.

_How could such a creature be bound to a monster?_

Loki turned out the lights, and left her darkened bedroom to occupy his time until she woke.

So, I'm really sorry this took forever, but life was not letting me write. That, and I was stuck with this chapter. I will try and get chapter three up in a few weeks.

Feedback is appreciated!

A big thanks to bluephoenix65069,Gabii666, XxRawrSmoresxX, and lunarexpanse for the favourtites and follows!


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